Word: olmert
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There is some merit in this rosy outlook. An Arab participant in the summit tells TIME that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "used language we haven't heard before - a commitment that we can work with him to develop a time-line for political negotiations aimed at final [agreement...
...Olmert made two announcements to demonstrate his good intentions. He said that Israel would begin releasing a good portion of the $700 million in withheld tax revenues that Palestinians say Israel owes the Palestinian Authority. He also said he'd seek cabinet approval for the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners who don't have Jewish blood on their hands. In his public statement at the summit, Olmert said he saw "a chance for peace" and does not intend "to let this opportunity pass us by." A senior Arab diplomat interprets Olmert's remarks as meaning the Israeli leader "realizes there...
...even the optimists agree, it is not enough. Some Arab diplomats point to Olmert's poor track record when it comes to fulfilling agreements, expressing skepticism that he will deliver his summit promises of money and prisoner releases much less a return to serious peace negotiations. "Let's wait and see what's going to happen," says a senior Arab diplomat. "God knows whether it will get implemented or not." Without real progress in the peace process, he points out, Hamas will regain political support at Abbas' expense...
...restore Palestinian unity along the lines of the Saudi-mediated Mecca Agreement that led to a power-sharing government comprised of Hamas and Abbas' Fatah party. Jordan's King Abdullah, however, is adamant that Hamas be excluded to give Abbas more freedom of action - and also not to alienate Olmert or the Bush Administration, which refuse dealings with Hamas. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is in the middle: while in no hurry to reward Hamas for its Gaza takeover, he nonetheless believes that Hamas will eventually be a spoiler if kept out of power altogether...
...biggest question is how the Bush administration will respond to the new opportunity. In the Arab view, the U.S. must now encourage or pressure Olmert for the concessions -on withdrawal from the West Bank, for example - needed to achieve a historic settlement with the Palestinians. Even the optimists acknowledge that decisive U.S. re-engagement in the peace process is anything but a sure bet. "What we are hoping is that the Americans will get active and find that this is a real platform," says a senior Arab diplomat. "We are hoping that Bush will say something or will do something...